Tamil Nadu BJP state secretary SG Suryah has criticized the ruling DMK government for betraying Velachery residents and questioned the effectiveness of DMK ally Congress MLA Velachery JMH Aassan Maulaana in assisting the people. He condemned the government’s actions, particularly a biometric survey that may lead to possible eviction of families along the Velachery lake bed without prior warning. Suryah accused the DMK and the Congress MLA of causing residents to live in constant fear, whether from rain or government actions.
On 20 November 2024, SG Suryah took to his official X account to express his concerns for Velachery residents, stating, “Should Aassan Maulaana of the Congress Party, who is unfit to help the people of #Velacherry, continue as an MLA in the coalition DMK regime? The fake Dravidian model DMK government has initiated a biometric survey to evict over a thousand families living along the Velachery lake bed without prior warning. People of Velachery are also protesting against this. Either the rains are keeping residents of Velachery in panic or this government is keeping them in panic. When Mr. Aassan Maulaana, the Congress MLA and the ally of the ruling DMK government, visited the area, people imprisoned him and appealed. It appears the officials have now left, But will these people have to live in panic every day?”
“Is the puppet Chief Minister, Mr. M.K. Stalin, refusing to listen to the pleas of his own alliance partner, the Congress MLA? Is it not a shame that Congress MLAs, part of the ruling alliance, cannot do anything for the people they represent?” He questioned.
கூட்டணி கட்சி தி.மு.க ஆட்சியிலேயே #வேளச்சேரி மக்களுக்கு அவசரத்தில் உதவ லாயக்கற்ற காங்கிரஸ் கட்சியின் அசன் மௌலானா இனியும் எம்.எல்.ஏ-வாக தொடர வேண்டுமா?
வேளச்சேரி கரையோரத்தில் வசிக்கும் ஆயிரத்துக்கு மேற்பட்ட குடும்பங்களிடம்,
எந்த ஒரு முன்னறிவிப்புமின்றி அவர்களை அங்கிருந்து அகற்ற… pic.twitter.com/cFYl5gAWy3— Dr.SG Suryah (@SuryahSG) November 20, 2024
The recent condemnation follows the action taken by the Water Resources Department (WRD) on 18 November 2024, which initiated a biometric survey as the first step in removing encroachments on the Velachery lake in compliance with a directive from the National Green Tribunal. According to WRD Assistant Engineer Mahendra Kumar, 203 houses were surveyed along the 100-ft Velachery Bypass Road. He explained that the full scope of encroachments would be revealed through the survey. After gathering the necessary data, the department would coordinate with the Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board (TNUHDB) to provide alternative housing for affected residents. The department plans to demolish the structures soon. Officials estimate that approximately 2,000 legal and illegal encroachments—including huts, shanties, marriage halls, residential homes, and government buildings—have reduced the lake’s area from 265 acres to just 55 acres.
The WRD aims to reclaim around 20-30 acres of the lake by removing all encroachments and restoring it at an estimated cost of ₹23 crore, which would include strengthening the bunds and plugging sewage outfalls. The lake receives water from the Raj Bhavan Canal and a 600-acre catchment area spanning Guindy, Adambakkam, Maduvinkarai, and Kannigapuram, in addition to rainfall. “If the lake were restored to its original capacity, it could accommodate all the water from its catchment area. Now, due to encroachment, Velachery is sinking,” said S. Kumararaja of the Federation of Velachery Welfare Associations.
The lake’s 2.14 km surplus channel, running along the 100-ft road, eventually joins the Pallikaranai marsh and the 3.3-km-long Veerangal Odai at a common outfall near the Kaiveli bus stop. Residents are urging the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Highways Department to disconnect the confluence of these two channels at the outfalls and create a separate outfall for the lake’s surplus water. Due to inadequate carrying capacity, neighborhoods along the Odai, such as AGS Colony, and areas along the lake’s surplus channel, including Dhandeeshwaram Nagar, are experiencing frequent flooding. Additionally, residents are calling for restoring the Taramani Link Road-Buckingham Canal channel and a six-vent culvert beneath the Velachery-Perungudi Station Road. “There’s a micro-canal beneath the Taramani Link Road-Thiruvanmiyur stretch,” noted M. Balakrishnan of the Tansi Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA). The six-vent culvert, which was meant to be 70 feet wide beneath the MRTS station, needs to be cleared to prevent flooding in 10 key locations. Residents argue that the WRD should remove all encroachments without discrimination, ensuring fair treatment for all affected.
In response to the WRD’s actions, local residents staged protests when Hassan Maulaana, the Congress MLA for the area, visited the site.